Major League Baseball to consider increasing number of London games to three or four
Major League Baseball could increase the number of games per season that it stages in London after it stepped up its commitment to the capital.
MLB made its UK debut in 2019 with a double header at the London Stadium that the competition’s chiefs deemed a great success.
It confirmed this week that it is heading back for two more fixtures in 2023, 2024 and 2026 as part of a new long-term partnership agreed with Mayor Sadiq Khan.
And beyond that, MLB bosses are “absolutely” open to the possibility of exporting three or even four games per season to London.
“In the US we play either two-game series or three-game series,” Kelhem Salter, growth and strategy director at MLB Europe, told City PM
“Potentially the first incremental step would be a three-game series, and then the more ambitious option would be to play back-to-back series.”
MLB increasingly sees London as an important location as it attempts to grow its UK fan base and attract younger viewers.
It sold 120,000 tickets in total for the two games between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at the London Stadium in 2019.
The fixtures were also a huge economic boost for the city, with an estimated 20 per cent of those spectators travelling over from the US for the fixtures.
“We’re focusing a lot of our efforts on the UK and using London as a base for that,” said Ben Ladkin, managing director of MLB Europe.
“It’s central to what we’re doing overseas. It’s a massively important city to MLB, as evinced by the fact we’ve committed to come here three times over the next five years.”
MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has even suggested that London could become the first city outside of North America to have its own team in the league.
The sheer number of games in a baseball season might prove a significant hurdle – each MLB franchise plays 162 fixtures per year – but it is not being ruled out.
“The commissioner is a very ambitious guy and we’re a very ambitious organisation. Nothing is impossible,” said Salter.
More immediately MLB is bringing a new short form of the game, Home Run Derby X, to London this summer in a bid to grow its presence here.
The fast-paced competition will feature teams from four MLB franchises – the Red Sox, Yankees, Chicago Cubs and LA Dodgers – made up of legendary former players, other famous names and rising stars.
London is hosting the inaugural event, which will also feature baseball activities, ballpark-style food and live music, at Crystal Palace on 9 July. Tickets are available here.
“It gives our existing avid MLB fans more live content to get excited about but it’s also about engaging with new audiences,” said Salter.
“It’s a different entry point, where we take our product in a more digestible form to them. It’s an easy and fun way to get into our sport.”
To find out more, check out mlb.com/HomeRunDerbyX. You can follow the full Home Run Derby X Tour at @mlb and @MLBEurope. MLB will be documenting the progress of the teams, the Wild Card’s training journey, and all the live and behind-the-scenes action from each event. #HomeRunDerbyX @MLBEurope